The Cavern Club, the Liverpool basement venue where The Beatles played nearly 300 shows in the early 1960s, announced on July 20, 2026 a partnership with National Museums Liverpool for a landmark exhibition marking its 70th anniversary. Titled “70 Years of The Cavern Club,” the show opens at the Museum of Liverpool on January 16, 2027 — exactly seven decades to the day since the club first opened its doors on Mathew Street.
The exhibition will run through October 31, 2027, tracing the venue’s path from a post-war jazz cellar to an internationally recognized cultural landmark, including its 1973 closure and 1984 reopening. Ahead of the exhibition, the Museum of Liverpool hosts a companion concert series called Summer of Sound from July 25 to August 29, 2026, featuring acts including The Quarrymen and Friends.
Stats at a Glance
- What: Museum of Liverpool exhibition, “70 Years of The Cavern Club”
- Where: Museum of Liverpool, England
- When: Opens January 16, 2027; runs through October 31, 2027
- Why it matters: Marks 70 years since the Cavern’s 1957 opening and its role as the Beatles’ launching pad
The Story
The Cavern Club opened as a jazz cellar on January 16, 1957, and became the epicenter of the Merseybeat scene, hosting the Beatles for a reported 292 performances between 1961 and 1963. The club closed in 1973 and was filled in during Merseyrail construction before reopening on a rebuilt section of the original site in 1984.
The new exhibition, developed with curator Karen O’Rourke of the Museum of Liverpool, will use personal stories and first-hand accounts to cover the venue’s closures, redevelopment, and revival. John Lennon’s sister and Cavern co-owner Julia Baird is among those attached to the project, which coincides with Liverpool’s status as a UNESCO City of Music.
What It Means for Visitors
Fans visiting Liverpool won’t need to wait until 2027 for related programming — the Summer of Sound concert series kicks off at the Museum of Liverpool in late July 2026, with performances from acts tied to the club’s musical lineage. The Cavern Club itself remains a working venue today, drawing more than 800,000 visitors a year, so the exhibition adds a museum-based complement rather than replacing a visit to the original Mathew Street basement.
Explore more: more live music venue news.
The Cavern Club FAQs
When does the Cavern Club 70th anniversary exhibition open?
It opens January 16, 2027, at the Museum of Liverpool, exactly 70 years after the Cavern Club’s original 1957 opening, and runs through October 31, 2027.
Is the Cavern Club still open today?
Yes. The Cavern Club operates as a functioning live music venue on Mathew Street in Liverpool and welcomes more than 800,000 visitors annually.
What is the Summer of Sound series?
It’s a companion concert program at the Museum of Liverpool running July 25 to August 29, 2026, ahead of the main exhibition, featuring acts including The Quarrymen and Friends.
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Photo: The Cavern of the Cavern Club, 2009.jpg: Hens Zimmerman derivative work: Clusternote (talk) / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.